


A burning desire for you.

by Jesan_Miyuuki



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst Dream/George, Bimbus is best dog, Bimbus makes an appearance, Blood, Corpse summons Sykkuno, Dark Sykkuno, Dark Theme, DemonKkuno, Evil, Fluff, Humour, I don't want to call this an au because um... plot ? Idk man, Jack the Ripper mentions, Jealously, Kuroshitsuji/Black butler elements, M/M, Mentions of Character Death, Minor Dream/George pairing but angst, Murder, Mystery, Pining, Possessiveness, Side pairing: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Slow Build, Supernatural elements - demons, Thriller? Not really but sort of, violence because
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:09:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28155120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jesan_Miyuuki/pseuds/Jesan_Miyuuki
Summary: Corpse sells his soul to a demon to avenge his sister.Sykkuno becomes the butler of a little boy who sold his soul for revenge.Or The DemonKkuno fic where they fall in love inspired by Darkkuno and his superior vibes.[Contains elements of Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)]
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband & Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 68
Kudos: 205





	1. prologue.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning - their meeting.

_Please, somebody, anybody – help me._

The place smells awful – like rotten flesh and corroding iron. The little boy who’s curled into a ball in the corner of the cell is rocking himself back and forth gently. Fire, screams and pain – those are the only things running through his mind right now. He remembers seeing her scared expression before the burning roof fell down and killed her. He remembers struggling against two pairs of strong arms as they tugged, pushed and pulled him towards the carriage. He remembers being drugged and waking up in this hell hole. He doesn’t know how many days it has been. He sees no daylight in this dark place, only the occasional light from the fire torch outside whenever a hooded figure brings him barely edible food.

The heavy wooden door opens with a loud clank but the sound is not followed by the usual clattering of the metal tray as it hits the floor. The little boy looks up just as two hooded figures grab a hold of him. He struggles but they tie him down and gag him with cloth before dragging him up the long winded flight of stairs.

The lights in the grand room are too bright, making the little boy dizzy and nauseous. Hooded figures are gathered in a circle around the centre of the room where a marble block sits. There is a magic circle of sorts drawn onto the floor with fresh blood and the pile of bodies in the corner makes the little boy wince.

He gets shoved onto the cold, marble surface as the congregation starts a soft chant around the room. He tries to break free and run but he finds himself trapped onto the table by some invisible force. The blood starts to burn orange before glowing like some heavenly light. He closes his eyes as he trembles.

_Please, somebody, anybody – help me._

A scream pierces through the air followed by shouts of pain and he opens his eyes to find two beautiful red orbs staring at him. The room is silent as death takes over the fresh graveyard.

“What’s your name?”

A gentle voice that contradicts the violent acts.

“Corpse.”

The little boy finds himself captivated by the creature before him.

“What a cute little name.”

The creature has silky brown locks that come to his feet and he’s dressed in all black despite the heat of the burning room. Corpse finds himself unusually calm as the creature advances on him.

“What would you like to exchange for your soul?”

What? His confusion must have been very evident because the creature cocks its head to the side with a small smile.

“My name is Sykkuno and you summoned me with your cry for help. I am a demon who eats the souls of mortals in exchange for one wish.”

Corpse stops breathing when Sykkuno comes to kneel before him.

“What is your wish Corpse?”

The image of his sister’s scared face flashes before his eyes. He takes a deep breath to fight back the tears.

“I want to avenge my sister.”

Sykkuno’s innocent face turns sinister as he stands up. Corpse lets out a gasp as cold fingers come to rest around his right eye.

“The more revealing the contract is, the more powerful I become to avenge your sister.”

Sykkuno loves his eyes – his big doe eyes so full of innocence in this wretched place.

“Take my eye. Do it.”

The little boy’s newfound determination makes Sykkuno feel all tingly on his insides. A powerful soul with a strong desire – a tasty meal for a hungry demon.

An inhumane scream echoes around the death filled room as his eye begins to throb with unbearable pain. The child falls limp on the table for a moment and Sykkuno nearly tsks at the failure until Corpse sits up suddenly. The magic circle around his eye glows beautiful as he turns to look at the demon with a cold expression.

“Get me out of this filthy place and burn it down to ashes.”

Sykkuno places his hand over his chest before dropping onto one knee.

“As you wish, young master.”

Corpse buries his face into Sykkuno’s neck as he listens to the crackling of the building burning to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think about this idea? 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! Especially feedback :) 
> 
> Thank you for reading. 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan


	2. one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some character introductions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reasons I have made some changes that are quite different from Kuroshitsuji (hence why I didn't use an au tag):  
> \- Unlike Ciel, Corpse is seventeen because I can't write that type of child/adult relationship fics :) I am unable to can  
> \- The setting for this fic is more modern because my brain will not be able to handle anymore Googling if I have to be precise in my writing with regards Victorian era England :) Oh and they are students because plot :)  
> \- Plot will have similarities but I'll try and switch it up so that it's not boring but we'll see :)  
> \- I will try and update as regularly as I can but it's that time of the year again where I am struggling with writer's block for unknown reasons :) I will do my best though and thank you so much for your support so far! 
> 
> Enjoy ~

Loud splashes echo across the bathroom as Corpse sinks himself under the hot water. The bathroom door opens and closes softly. His dark curls cling to his forehead as he peeks out just above the water to look at Sykkuno. The demon is humming softly to himself as he hangs up a few towels onto the rack.

Four years have passed since he summoned the brunette by accident and Corpse has somewhat re-pieced his life together since the incident. Sykkuno had rebuilt their mansion in a day but the admin work that followed the burning of their estate was not as easy as simply rebuilding a house and being alive.

The demon suddenly turns around with a small smile, a pristine white towel in his hands, and Corpse sinks himself back under the hot water as Sykkuno moves to kneel besides the tub. The older male is unfazed when the seventeen year old boy suddenly emerges with a gasp.

“You shouldn’t stay in there for too long, you’ll get dizzy.”

Corpse’s eyes are hard and cold as he turns to look at Sykkuno with a blank stare. The steam-filled bathroom falls silent as Sykkuno pats Corpse dry with the fluffy towel.

“I want to go back to school.”

The demon merely hums as he motions for Corpse to slide his hand through the sleeve of the white dress shirt. They’ve gotten no clues at all on the freak accident that killed his sister and the lack of progress is making him frustrated.

“When would you like to start?”

Sykkuno’s nonchalant manner about his potentially long periods of daily absence from the house makes Corpse angry.

_Why does it make him angry?_

~~Maybe because Corpse has been unable to read the demon even after four years of living together or maybe it’s because Corpse wants something more than this cold, unfeeling relationship they currently have.~~

“As soon as possible.”

The last button slips into its place and Sykkuno straightens himself up with a smile.

“I’ll get everything arranged so that you can start next week.”

Corpse walks out of the bathroom without another word, leaving Sykkuno behind to clean the mess of water that had been purposefully splashed around the place.

**

“Corpse!”

He lets out an unhappy grunt as Poki comes colliding against him. Poki was his sister’s best friend – they were practically attached by the hip when she was still alive. Corpse stays awkwardly still with his hands resting limply by his sides as Poki squeezes him with brutal force. 

“I’m so glad that you’re alive.”

He only saw her briefly at the funeral four years ago and they haven’t been in contact since. A part of Corpse feels guilty about not reaching out to her but he’s adamant about cutting as many ties as possible so that he can leave this world with no attachments when Sykkuno finally takes his soul.

“Poki.”

His voice sounds rough – he hasn’t been able to sleep at all lately.

“People are staring.”

Nox Academy is an upper ranked school for nobles and the rich (disclaimer: I used both because you can be rich but not a noble). Its school badge consists of a single red spider lily with the word Nox written in black underneath it. Poki comes from a family of Dukes and Duchesses and Corpse’s father was given the title of Earl when he turned two years old. Both of them have been students of this school since primary but Corpse had taken a little break from attending the academy after the whole _I-nearly-got-sacrificed-to-a-demon experience_ that happened.

Other students are watching them with curious eyes and soft whispers as Poki pouts at Corpse in front of the school gate – she’s still gripping one of his hands tightly.

“You’re always so cold.”

 ~~That’s not true, he's not like that to everyone~~.

“Let go of me.”

He shakes her hand off before continuing up the path to the building. Poki follows suit with a happy jump in her steps – not at all fazed by his coldness.

“Did you hear about the new transfer student? I heard that apparently he’s super cute!”

A group of girls are gossiping near the entrance as the duo enters into the big classroom.

“I heard that he’s only a year older than us and that his name is Sykkuno or something.”

The group of girls turn to look at Corpse when his bag hits the table with a loud thud. They eye him once over before carrying on with their conversation.

Sykkuno? What was Sykkuno doing here?

Corpse nearly punches Poki when she touches his shoulder gently with concerned eyes.

“Are you okay?”

He pulls out his chair before sitting down.

“I’m fine.”

The day progresses very slowly and the class immediately makes a beeline for the door when the bell for their lunch break rings through the school. Poki comes to a stop in front of Corpse’s desk as the dark-haired male continues puts his books away from their previous class.

“Do you have lunch?”

He pulls out a lunch box neatly wrapped with a piece of cloth from his bag and she gives it a confused once over. It was like their tradition to eat the over-expensive food at the cafeteria every lunch break when his sister was still alive– where did this fancy looking lunch come from?

“That’s rare. Did your chef make that for you?”

Sykkuno’s the only other person that lives with Corpse inside the too big mansion.

“Butler.”

He stands up without waiting for her and they make it into the semi-empty school yard in less than ten minutes. Corpse’s eyes widen when they land on the lone figure sitting besides the fountain reading a book.

“Sykkuno!”

A sandy-brown haired male dashes his way across the yard before he practically throws himself into the demon’s lap. Something ugly twists in Corpse’s chest as he narrows his eyes onto the stranger clinging to his butler.

_Who the hell is that?_

Sykkuno seems to sense his gaze on them because he stops mid-greeting to turn back and look right at Corpse. The younger male’s heart stops when the demon offers him a small smile.

“Do you know the transfer student?”

Poki shifts to look between the two as Corpse starts walking towards the duo.

“He’s my butler.”

_~~His.~~ _

“What?”

She jogs a little to catch up to Corpse as they round the fountain. The annoying stranger looks up with a confused frown when Corpse and Poki come to a stop a few steps away from them.

“Can I help you?”

Corpse tightens his hold on his lunch.

“Get off of him.”

An amused glint sparkles to life in Sykkuno’s eyes as he cocks his head to the side.

“Corpse.”

The younger male ignores the demon’s greeting to glare at the unknown person. Sykkuno immediately pushes the man off of him, gently of course, and stands up when Corpse takes a step forward.

“Who are they?”

The intruder sounds rather unhappy as he glares back at Corpse from the ground. Sykkuno gestures to the younger duo with a smile.

“My young master and his friend.”

The brunette turns to motion at the poor man on the floor.

“This is Ludwig, my friend.”

_Friend?_

“Nice to meet you!”

Ludwig extends his hand out in greeting but Corpse ignores it him completely as he turns his head away to look at Sykkuno.

“Why are you here?”

The demon feigns a confused expression – Sykkuno knows exactly what he’s doing and Corpse doesn’t buy his cute little act one bit.

“I would never let you come to school alone – you’re very precious to me.”

Poki moves her hand to cover her burning face at the smooth line and Corpse nearly lets out a scoff – they both know that the real reason is because it would be a pain if he dies without Sykkuno getting his soul first.

“Just don’t cause any trouble.”

Corpse’s heart speeds up when Sykkuno reaches for his hand. The demon’s hands are soft and pale – his slender fingers gliding across Corpse’s palm gently.

“I won’t.”

Sykkuno presses a barely there kiss to the back of his hand before dragging a complaining Ludwig away.

**

Toast doesn’t even look up from the book in his hands as Ludwig continues to make a scene in the cafeteria. Sykkuno is hiding his embarrassment behind his free hand as the other tries to pulls Ludwig to sit down next to Toast.

“This is so embarrassing.”

Toast crumples the plastic container of his bread as he plops the last piece of food into his mouth.

“Where were you Toast?”

The questioned male claps his book shut as he looks up with a shrug.

“Lud wasn’t waiting outside the bathroom when I came out and he didn’t bother telling me where you were going for lunch so I just came here.”

Sykkuno lets out a sigh – typical chaos. This is how it always is with these two grim reapers.

“Don’t you two have jobs to do or something?”

The demon had told Jack about enrolling into a school for Corpse and Jack had told Lugwig and Toast which led them to this exact mess right now.

“We do.”

Toast shrugs it off like it wasn’t a big deal or anything.

“Why don’t you ever show affection to me the same way you did to that kid?”

Ludwig’s whine cuts through their conversation stubbornly and Toast raises a curious eyebrow at the statement. Sykkuno wants to crawl into the ground and never come out.

“That wasn’t affection.”

Ludwig scoffs.

“You _kissed_ his hand Sykkuno.”

Toast turns to look to Sykkuno with a teasing smirk upon hearing this little piece of information.

“Isn’t that illegal?”

Sykkuno responds to his little joke with a deadpan.

“Wasn’t Janet like 12 back then?”

Toast ignores his retort with a shrug.

“This and that are different.”

That’s true. Toast loved Janet; Sykkuno is merely contracted to Corpse – it's completely different.

_~~Lies.~~ _

“What did he wish for?”

Ludwig fabricates two cans of juice from midair and Sykkuno thanks the younger male as he takes one.

“He wants to avenge his deceased sister. Her name is Rachel or something like that.”

Toast and Ludwig were the ones who were tasked to reap the souls of that freak accident. That night was also when Sykkuno saw Corpse for the first time – he had watched those hooded figures take the struggling boy away from the distance as he accompanied his two friends.

“That Rachel?”

Toast studies the demon for a moment with an unreadable expression. Sykkuno leans forward to look at the grim reaper with a curious glint in his eyes.

“Do you know something?”

The older male opens the book in his hands slowly.

“Not at all.”

The trio falls into a tense silence after a beat.

“Tragic.”

Ludwig slurps his drink loudly as Sykkuno turns to look out the window to where Corpse and Poki are sitting.

**

A small smile plays on his lips as he watches Poki and Corpse walk away from the fountain – the dark-haired boy is sporting a large blush as he ignores his friend in favour of finding a place to sit.

“That’s a rather interesting turn of events.”

His feet swing happily in the air as another person lands gently on the tree.

“Did you find it?”

He looks up at the expressionless, older male with an expecting smile.

“His name is Sykkuno and he’s in a contract with that little kid named Corpse.”

A hum and then silence. He slides off of the tree branch and falls into a pair of steady arms before hitting the grassy floor.

“Good job, Felix.”

The demon says nothing as he puts the younger boy onto the ground.

“Now all we need to do is put the plan into motion.”

Felix follows the boy out of the bushes. There’s a happy skip in his feet as he makes his way to where Corpse and Poki are sitting. He comes to a stop in front of the duo and Poki gives him a look as he offers them a smile.

“Hi, my name is Dream and I just transferred here today.”

Corpse remains silent as Poki introduces herself. Something doesn’t feel right about the taller male who's standing behind Dream.

“This is Felix – my butler.”

The dark-haired boy gives Felix a once over and his eyes come to a stop at the older male’s gloved hands. Sykkuno usually wears gloves to cover the mark on his hand as well. That’s a rather peculiar coincidence.

“I hope that we can get along in the future.”

Dream’s smile never reaches his eyes as he watches Corpse with an unreadable expression. Corpse tries to push the nagging feeling to the back of his mind as he digs into his lunch.

Something in the winds has changed – something dangerous is brewing in the depths of the sunny sky above. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm unhappy with this wordcount but the cut was needed for reasons :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated as they motivate me to keep going :) 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan
> 
> Edit: I will do backstories if you want but that will come later :) Just yell at me in the comments if you want backstories :)


	3. two.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings and kidnappings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oyaoyaoya... :)
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> Warnings: mentions of blood, violence and minor character death - nothing too detailed but a warning nonetheless.

Corpse lets out a grunt as he gets tossed against the wall. His back hits it with a loud thud before he slides down painfully onto the floor. The young boy’s hands are tied behind his back by some sort of leather strap and he lets out a sigh as he feels the rough material cut into his arms painfully - they'll definitely be bruises that he'll have to hide the next day. He opens his eyes to glare up at his captor when he gets pulled up and off the floor by a fistful of his hair. The blonde man reeks of alcohol and cigarettes as he sneers at Corpse. 

“This is what you get for trying to meddle in my business kid.”

Mr. Woodley – the head of the black market’s drug dealing sector. They had received a letter requesting for his elimination from the principal a few days back. Corpse had asked Sykkuno to invite him, along with some other people, over for a fancy dinner meeting so that he could spite this greedy man with irritating remarks and conceited actions. He knew his plans would work but he didn’t expect for Woodley to kidnap him right from the gates of the school and to beat him half dead. After all, there will inevitably always be hitches in good plans.

“I can’t believe the principal trusts a kid like you with all her dirtiest jobs – doesn’t she see how weak you are?”

The principal – nobody knows her name, they all just know her as the principal of Nox Academy. She’s like the monarchy of the upper class society in their country and her methods are ruthless and unpredictable. If you anger her you might as well be good as dead. Corpse’s parents worked for her – their family was bonded in a life-long contract to her. For as long as anyone in their family is alive they will carry out all her dirty work – be it massacres or political cold wars. In exchange they are free to do whatever they please, under legal restriction of course, and that’s essentially how they became one of the most successful families in the country.

But, as always, with success comes danger. This time danger came in the form of a freak accident that killed Rae. Corpse was adopted into the family at the age of five – he doesn’t remember his real parents nor does he care about them and his ‘parents’ were never around the house much, always out for business. Rachel was the only one that he considered family.

“You’re good as dead – no one will be able to find you in this bunker.”

Corpse heaves in a deep breath before putting on his best _go-die-you-jerk_ smile. The blonde man’s eyes narrow on him as he sits up to lean against the wall.

“You better return me soon Woodley. I have my servants on the lookout for me and dangerous things will ensue if you don’t listen to me.”

An angry ‘tch’ echoes through the room and Corpse coughs out a mouthful of blood as Woodley kicks him straight in the stomach. His vision nearly goes black as the man continues his rampage with brutal kicks to his torso. Corpse struggles to hold onto consciousness as Woodley finally stops his abuse to pick up his ringing phone.

“What do you want?”

The line is silent for a moment before a scream sounds through the speaker.

“Where is my young master?”

The voice on the other end of the line is dangerously soft with no sense of remorse as the sound of something splattering echoes through the speaker. Woodley looks down at the nearly unconscious boy on the floor with wide eyes.

“I’m very unhappy at the moment – please refrain from angering me any further.”

Polite, to the point and ready to kill. Woodley bites down on his bottom lip as he tries to swallow down his fear.

“Do you really think you can scare me with such silly tricks? Your young master will be as good as dead in a few moments.”

Corpse closes his eyes as he tries to listen for the quiet voice on the other side of the line to respond to the threat.

“I’m counting to five. I suggest that you prepare for your death if he isn’t released by then.”

He can practically feel Woodley’s fear from where he’s lying on the cold floor. There's a bit of anger laced into that beautiful voice as he threatens the blonde businessman back.

“One.”

An explosion shakes the building and the blonde man looks up at the unstable ceiling in fear.

“Two.”

Gunshots ring out through the speaker followed by agonised screams.

“Three.”

Silence.

“Four.”

Corpse tries to hide his smile by tilting his head down – Sykkuno doesn’t sound happy at all.

“Woof.”

Woodley looks down at the unmoving body in horror as the place falls still.

“Five.”

The door of the room goes flying through the air and right at Woodley. Sykkuno's leg returns to the floor gently and Corpse shudders at the inhuman strength as he catches a glimpse of the damaged door, it's almost bent in half. The blonde man lets out a pained scream as he gets crushed between the heavy metal door and the wall. Corpse looks up with a wince as Sykkuno comes to a stop before him with his phone in his hands – something akin to anger flashes through those now red eyes as he gives the injured boy a once over.

The demon’s thumb hits the 'end call' button before he pockets his phone to pick Corpse up from the floor. He puts the younger male down onto a nearby sofa before ripping the leather bondage to shreds with little force. Sykkuno’s hands are ice cold as he picks up Corpse’s arms to inspect his bruised wrists – there are blotches of dark purple forming across the angry, red skin.

“Does it hurt?”

Sykkuno’s expression is unreadable as he runs his thumbs gently over Corpse's wrists. The soft movement sends shivers down Corpse’s spine and he turns to look away when he feels blood rush to his cheeks.

“No.”

Corpse can feel the demon’s eyes on him. Sykkuno knows he’s lying – he always knows when he is lying.

“I’m sorry for not getting here sooner.”

The dark haired boy nearly pulls his hands out of the demon’s grasp when he feels something soft touch his skin. Corpse looks down to find Sykkuno kissing the bruised skin with a sort of sadness around him.

_~~He doesn’t feel the same about you – don’t let yourself get hurt.~~ _

“Stop doing useless things.”

Corpse pulls his hand away quickly and his breath hitches when Sykkuno looks up at him slowly with those blood red eyes shining like expensive rubies. A grunt from the wall pulls both of them out of their little trance and Corpse lets out a sigh when he looks up to see Woodley pointing a gun at them.

“What would you like me to do?”

Sykkuno gets up from where he was kneeling in front of Corpse with a cold expression and Woodley’s hand starts to shake as the demon turns around to look at him.

“Kill him and burn this place down.”

She only said to eliminate him – she never said how.

“As you wish, young master.”

_~~Young master. He hates that term.~~ _

The smell of blood and the dull ache of pain linger with him long after they leave the burning bunker filled with screams of death.

**

“Please bear with the pain.”

Corpse hisses as Sykkuno dabs on the broken skin with disinfectant. There have been no signs of any emotion on the older male’s face since they arrived back at the mansion with Corpse asleep in his butler’s arms. The hot bath had somewhat soothed the ache in his bones and a little bit of his tiredness but his wounds will fester if he leaves them unattended. Sykkuno is still in his uniform and there are blood stains dotted here and there on his usual pristine, white shirt.

How many people did he kill?

The first aid kit shuts with a loud clank that echoes across the bathroom and Corpse tries to bite down his tears as Sykkuno begins to button his dress shirt with the same blank expression. The demon’s eyes have returned to their usual brown colour but they lack their usual warmth. They look like the eyes of a monster - cold, unfeeling and scary.

“Please go to sleep immediately – you have school tomorrow.”

_~~Stop treating me like a child.~~ _

Corpse stands up without another word as Sykkuno begins to clean the blood stained bathroom. The dejected boy tosses and turns in bed for a few hours until he hears the doors to his bedroom open. Corpse tries to still his breathing as the demon moves closer to his bed. The soft mattress dips as Sykkuno sits down to run his hand gently through the younger male's thick, dark curls.

His touch feels warm – it almost feels genuine under the silver moonlight of his dark bedroom.

“Good night, Corpse.”

Corpse vaguely remembers the feeling of soft lips against his forehead before he drifts off into a dreamless slumber.

**

Toast lands on the roof with no sound. Sykkuno’s blood red eyes are trained on the full moon as his friend sits down beside him.

“What happened?”

Toast is nearly convinced that Sykkuno won’t answer his question when he’s met with a few long minutes of tense silence. 

“I felt angry when I saw him like that.”

The reaper merely hums a little as he tries to connect the dots.

“Humans are food, yet something ugly twisted to life inside of me when I saw him in pain and covered in bruises.”

Toast leans back slowly to lie down with his hands behind his head.

“I shouldn’t be feeling this way about him.”

The older male closes his eyes as he lets the cold night breeze wash over him. Sykkuno's voice sounds broken, lost and painful. 

“Did it hurt?”

_Thank you for bringing happiness into my life, even if it was only for a few days._

Toast opens his eyes to look at the moon as she shines down on them. Even after so long, her voice still sounds clear as daylight and he still remembers every second of each moment spent with her. 

“It did.”

It was the deepest pain that he had ever felt. Sykkuno slumps forwards and curls in on his knees at Toast’s response.

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Sykkuno.”

Toast hesitates for a moment before placing one of his hands onto the demon’s back to rub soothing circles gently as Sykkuno shakes with silent sobs.

_~~I think I love you.~~ _

**

Corpse groans grumpily as the curtains get opened to let sunlight stream into his bedroom.

“Good morning.”

The younger male sits up with a yawn as Sykkuno makes his way around the bed to the waiting tray hosting Corpse’s morning tea. He taps the spoon gently against the strainer before pouring hot water into the tea pot with practiced ease. The tiny hourglass gets flipped around and Sykkuno picks up Corpse’s uniform before walking over to the bed. His tie slips into place just as the last grains of sand hit the bottom of the hourglass and the demon adjusts the neat knot for one last time before patting imaginary dust off of the sparkling silk tie.

“I have prepared Chamomile tea for you this morning.”

The fragrance of the tea washes over the room as Corpse accepts the offered cup with a nod. Sykkuno produces an envelope containing a baby pink wax seal from his pocket. The seal breaks easily as the brunette slides the silver letter opener through it. The younger male trades his tea for the envelope and Sykkuno offers him a smile when their eyes meet.

_~~The warmth is back in those dark brown orbs.~~ _

Dark black eyes glance quickly over the contents of the letter before a scoff filters through the peaceful morning air.

“A resort, huh? She’s really planning on taking over that area.”

Corpse tosses the envelope and its letter onto his bedside table before standing up. His arm slides into the black cardigan sleeve easily. Sykkuno has a small smile dancing on his lips as he buttons the garment up halfway. The door to the bedroom closes with a soft thud as two pairs of footsteps echo around the otherwise empty mansion. Breakfast happens over an uncomfortable silence and Sykkuno immediately disappears from sight as they reach the gates of the school.

“Corpse!”

Poki comes to a stop in front of Corpse with a bright smile.

“Good morning.”

The dark-haired boy tilts his head to look back at the source of the second greeting and Dream offers the duo an overly happy smile as him and Felix come to a stop a few steps away.

“Run along now.”

Felix nods his greeting to the duo with a blank expression before disappearing in the direction of the building where Sykkuno’s classes are.

“Good morning Dream!”

Poki’s cheerful voice cuts through the chilly morning air like a hot knife and Corpse turns on his heel without returning any of those greetings. The other two students fall into step besides him with mindless chatter and Corpse unconsciously picks up his pace a little.

“Did you hear about the school trip?”

A school trip to a nearby resort, ~~or the principal’s plan to take over the tourist rich area disguised as a relaxing weekend for her students.~~

“How kind of her to arrange such a nice weekend for her students – right, Corpse?”

Dream is watching him with an almost sinister grin as Poki happily agrees with his statement.

“Of course – she’s the principal of the highest ranked academy in the country. She’s a virtuous, humble and loving person.”

Corpse’s statement sounds unconvincing, even to his own ears, as he tries to repeat what Rae would always tell him. She had always loved this academy with all her heart, always carrying out all her duties with pride for the principal.

A gust of wind washes over the school causing the campus to be drowned in a shower of light pink flower petals as the sun beats down on them happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie I had to actually sit down and plot for a while because this isn't easy :) 
> 
> Good news is that I have a plan forward :) 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated and they keep the author (me!) sane and happy! (they also tell me how you're feeling about this work so they are much appreciated!)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> Xx  
> \- Jesan


	4. three.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bimbus joins the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? Cameos? What are those?

Corpse’s eyes follow Sykkuno as the older male talks to the attendant with a polite smile on his lips.

“You really like him, don’t you?”

Poki sits down with a small teasing smile and Corpse immediately turns to look out of the window of the train instead. She chuckles at his denial before turning back to her phone. His eyes trail back to his butler as the demon finally finishes up his conversation with the now blushing female. Corpse’s eyes narrow into slits when Ludwig flings himself onto Sykkuno with a cheerful smile. His happy-go-lucky attitude makes Corpse sick.

“You’ll glare a hole through the poor man’s head at this rate.”

Dream slides the door to their compartment closed before sitting down on the seat opposite the duo. Corpse turns his glare to the smiling boy instead before he turns away with a ‘tch’. Their little room falls quiet as the other students outside continue to busy themselves with luggage arrangements. She really could have just sent him on a solo mission for the weekend instead of doing all this unnecessary drama.

“I heard that this little town is famous for its drag hunting.”

A pamphlet sits peacefully in Dream’s hands as he continues to skim through the rows and rows of tiny words on it.

“Drag hunting?”

Poki locks her phone as she looks up at Dream.

“Trail scent hunting using hounds.”

She lets out a small ‘oh’ before nodding her acceptance of that little piece of information.

“But it seems that there has been a drop in its economy recently.”

The pamphlet slaps shut before it gets thrown onto the seat roughly. Dream’s lips are still pulled into that smile – the smile that never reaches his eyes.

“Why?”

Corpse crosses his legs before leaning back into the seat whilst maintaining a steady eye contact with the other male.

“Apparently there are rumours about a demon hound on the loose.”

A random boy with a seemingly inhumane butler who wears white gloves everyday – Dream sure does seem very suspicious.

“Demon hound?”

Poki falls silent for a moment before letting out a giggle.

“That’s not possible – such things don’t exist!”

Corpse remains silent as Dream turns to look at Poki with a grin.

“Right? What a silly rumour.”

What exactly does he want?

The train doors shut with a brutal force as a whistle rings out through the station. The big mechanical vehicle sets forth on their journey with steady ‘clickety-clank’ sounds after a few more beats of waiting. The steady rocking of the train lulls Corpse into a state of semi-sleep and he jolts awake with a start when a hand starts to caress his cheek gently. Dream remains unfazed as Corpse's hand shoots out to grip his wrist tightly. Poki is nowhere to be seen and her spot next to Corpse is now replaced with Felix. The butler is watching Corpse with an intense gaze as his owner shakes his hand free from the dark haired male’s grasp.

“Sleepy? Why don’t you lie down?”

Dream pats his thighs with a small grin and the action causes Corpse to shudder.

“Or Felix also serves as a very nice pillow.”

The older male repeats Dream’s earlier actions and the two of them start to slowly edge towards Corpse. The door to their compartment slides open before hitting the edge with a loud thud and the trio look up to find Sykkuno with a dangerous smile on his lips.

“Was my young master causing trouble for you?”

Sykkuno’s eyes are a reddish brown when he steps forward to glare at Felix.

“Not at all – we were merely teasing.”

Dream sits back nonchalantly with a smirk. Sykkuno’s hand shoots out to reach for Corpse’s without warning.

“My, oh my – to think that you’ve finally reached the level of being able to tease other people.”

Corpse’s heart beat picks up as Sykkuno pulls him into his embrace. The brunette’s hand are resting comfortably against his waist as he begins to inch them towards the exit of the compartment.

“What an interesting development.”

They step outside – their hands still intertwined and Sykkuno’s other hand still around his waist.

“If you’ll excuse us.”

The door to the compartment magically closes by itself and they fall into a tense silence as Sykkuno begins to drag Corpse down the hallway towards the last compartment of the train. Ludwig and Toast look up with identical expressions of confusion turned curiosity when the duo enters into the new room.

“Oh?”

Toast shifts to rest his chin on his fist when Sykkuno pushes Corpse down gently to sit. Sykkuno’s eyes are completely red now and his lips are pressed into an angry thin line as he starts to prepare tea and snacks from a basket. The two reapers are sporting teasing grins as they watch the scene unfold.

“Don’t you two have places to be?”

The demon's voice is stern and emotionless as he shoot the duo a side glance. Toast lets out a dramatic sigh as he stands up.

“Always chasing us away.”

Ludwig lets out a confused sound when Toast heaves him up by the collar of his shirt.

“Enjoy~”

The two reapers disappear through the door as Sykkuno places the cup of tea down in front of Corpse.

“Are you...”

Corpse’s deep voices echoes quietly around the compartment and Sykkuno sits down with an unreadable expression as he waits for the younger male to finish his question.

“ _Jealous?_ ”

Those red eyes widen at his question and Sykkuno turns to look away with a light pink hue dusting his cheeks.

“Not at all. You can be intimate with anyone you wish to be intimate with.”

Corpse hums as he brings the delicate tea cup up to his lips to hide his grin.

“That’s rather cute.”

Sykkuno refuses to meet his gaze for the rest of the train ride and Poki is extremely confused when they reunite to find Corpse with a small grin on his lips.

**

The resort is situated next to the forest where the little town’s hunting festivals all take place at. The scenery is beautiful and the building is decorated with elegant modern furnishing. Corpse thanks the lady at the front desk as she hands him the key to his room before letting out an insufferable sigh. They were supposed to be rooming in pairs and lo and behold, with his _amazing_ luck, he was paired with Dream. The spacious room is empty when Corpse arrives to find his luggage already sitting besides one of the two beds.

Sykkuno had excused himself to go make arrangements when they had arrived earlier and the younger male lets out a small frown at the idea of the demon rooming with that sickening cheerful four eyed male. Corpse just makes it onto the bed when the door to the room opens. He takes in a deep breath to prepare himself for Dream’s nonsense before looking up to find Sykkuno.

“Surprise.”

Corpse ignores the happy skip of his heart before letting out a ‘tch’.

“What are you doing here?”

The demon sets down what little luggage he has with him next to the unoccupied bed before meeting Corpse’s eyes.

“There were a few change of plans – it seems like Felix would much rather prefer to room with his young master instead of with me.”

_~~Or maybe Sykkuno charmed the lady at the front desk into letting him switch their rooms and Dream simply shrugged when he found out about the news.~~ _

Corpse lets the lie slide as he pulls his neatly made black tie loose. The younger male leans back with a cold expression as Sykkuno crosses the room to kneel before him besides the bed. The demon’s fingers feel cold against Corpse’s neck as begins to redo the tie.

“What did you find out?”

Sykkuno’s movements are deliberate and slow as he remakes the intricate knot.

“There does appear to be supernatural movement in these areas. Livestock and wild prey have been dwindling in massive amounts since last year’s winter but they can’t seem to be able to find the source.”

Corpse’s eyes remain unblinking on Sykkuno as he pushes the new knot into place.

“And the mayor?”

Sykkuno remains kneeling in front of Corpse as his hands fall to rest on either side of his master.

“An abusive, short-tempered man with no desire to sell the town.”

Corpse shifts to sit forward and his finger runs easily down Sykkuno’s neatly made tie as he hums his acknowledgement.

“And the townsfolk?”

Sykkuno’s eyes glance down to Corpse’s finger as the younger male traces it back up to his jaw.

“They’re all scared to overthrow him because of the curse. Apparently, whoever tries to take over the town will be bitten to death by the demon hound rumoured to protect the family who has owned this town since they discovered it.”

Corpse’s finger moves up slowly from Sykkuno’s jaw to skim over his bottom lip before disappearing.

“We move tonight.”

Sykkuno stands up with a small smile as Corpse falls back onto the cold bed.

“As you wish, young master.”

The barking of dogs echoes through the town as Sykkuno disappears out their room.

**

The manor sitting at the top of the hill looks old and unstable as the winds start to pick up around them. Sykkuno knocks twice on the door before a very scared looking maid opens it to welcome them in. The sound of something shattering echoes loudly around the house a few moments after the maid entered into the living room to announce their arrival. Corpse kicks the door open before walking in with a bored expression.

The mayor – a plump, short man with over gelled black hair – has his hand raised in the air with the tea cup in his tight grip. The saucer is lying broken around the trembling maid on the ground. The disgusting looking man turns to look at them with a scowl before throwing the tea cup onto the floor with anger.

“Is this the rumoured principal’s pet? A little kid?”

He pulls out a cigar from the pack in his pocket before lighting it. Corpse’s eyes trail across the broken pieces of crockery before landing on the maid. He gestures at the door with his eyes and she immediately leaves without another word. Sykkuno moves to stand next to Corpse when the younger male sits down onto the couch opposite the plump mayor.

“I won’t sell it – no matter how much you have to offer.”

Corpse remains silent as he crosses his legs with an unreadable expression. His dark eyes are trained on the adult with a dangerous glint.

“More than fifty cases of cheating during hunting competitions, many past cases of tax fraud and the trading of ivory in the black market.”

The mayor’s eyes widen in horror as Corpse leans forward with an evil grin.

“I don’t think your people will be very happy to know about your illegal doings behind their backs.”

Sykkuno’s eyes start to become murky when the mayor slams his fist onto the table in a threatening manner.

“You dare to threaten me?!”

Short-tempered and abusive indeed – what’s even worse is his unpleasant breath smelling heavily of smoke and alcohol. Problematic, problematic, problematic.

“I suggest you settle on a price soon.”

Corpse stands up without a second glance before making his way towards the door. Crazed laughter makes him look back with a raised eyebrow as they wait for the maniac to stop laughing.

“Beware the demon hound that will come after you.”

Sykkuno’s lips twitch with a grin as they continue to listen to the mayor.

“He comes at night to eat all those who do wrong.”

A loud howl rings out through the room from outside and the mayor runs to the window to throw back the curtains in panic. The shadow of a wolf-like figure flashes through the trees of the forest before another howl echoes through the night.

“Go and take care of that mess – I can handle this alone.”

Sykkuno hesitates as Corpse pulls out a gun from his pocket. The younger male doesn’t even look back as he starts to corner the mayor.

“ _Are you disobeying my orders?_ ”

The demon remains silent for a beat longer before leaving the room quietly.

“Now mister mayor, where were we?”

He trembles pathetically as Corpse shoves the gun into his filthy mouth. The servants of the house are all gone by the time Corpse walks out of the front door to find Sykkuno waiting for him with a grim expression.

**

“Did you hear? Apparently, the mayor was arrested last night for fraud and trading in the black market.”

The group of students sitting near the corner of the cafeteria are chattering loudly as Corpse moves to sit a few tables away from them with a tray of dull looking food.

“That’s not even the most interesting part – apparently, the man turned himself in whilst stuttering like a madman saying something about a demon or something like that. They admitted him into a mental hospital soon after and now the town is without an owner.”

Corpse doesn’t even look up from his unappetising food when Dream slides into the seat opposite him.

“What an interesting story – what do you think will happen to the town next?”

The dark haired boy ignores him completely as Poki comes to join them with a cheerful ‘Good morning!’. They start chattering about plans for the day – places that they would like to see and activities that they would like to do for the next few days – and Corpse zones them out as his eyes scans the cafeteria for the chaotic trio of demon and reapers.

“They’re not here if you’re wondering – the students from the older grades are out on some or other research lesson this morning.”

Corpse pushes his tray of food away as he pretends to ignore Dream’s statement. Sykkuno was still there in the morning to dress Corpse when he woke up.

“We’re leaving in an hour – don’t be late!”

Poki’s voice trails after him as he makes his way out of the crowded cafeteria. Their room is nice and cool with a splendid breeze entering through the windows that Corpse had closed when he left for breakfast. Sykkuno is busy preparing a cup of tea as Corpse pushes the door open.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on some research trip?”

The demon merely waves his statement away with his hand before serving Corpse the delicate cup of tea – the wonderful aroma fills their room pleasantly. The dark haired boy sits down on one of the white chairs with a sigh.

“I want to leave.”

Sykkuno turns to lean against the table with a small hum.

“We can’t do that – your friends will be worried if you suddenly disappear.”

_Friends._

“They’re not my friends.”

The demon studies him for a moment.

“My apologies.”

The tea cup clinks against the surface of the table quietly – its taste bland and uninteresting now.

“What did you do with that creature?”

The rumour might have sounded hideous because of all the extravagant details the townsfolk added but there was actually a demon hound residing in their forest.

“Bimbus?”

Corpse looks up with a frown.

“You named it?”

Sykkuno’s eyes soften as he recalls some or other memory.

“Bimbus is very cute.”

Corpse lets out an angry ‘tch’ – he was not jealous.

“What did you do with it?”

His butler pushes himself off of the table as he starts to make his way towards the windows.

“Don’t worry about it for now. Please make sure to enjoy the trip while it lasts.”

~~Corpse won’t admit it but he does end up enjoying the trip with Poki and Dream dragging him through thousands of activities in two days.~~

**

“Sykkuno, what is this?”

The massive ball of white fluff wags its tail happily at Corpse as he steps out of the car.

“This is Bimbus – our new pet.”

Corpse rubs at his temple with a sigh – this is why he always needs to give Sykkuno everything in detail, if not you end up with giant demon hounds as your house pets.

“We can’t keep it.”

Bimbus lets out a sad whine as his tail sags onto the ground. A sniffle startles the younger male into turning around quickly. Sykkuno’s eyes are glazed over with tears as he stares at the huge ball of white with pitiful sobs.

“There’s nothing I can do if you don’t want him...”

Another sniffle rings through their estate before Sykkuno turns to look at Corpse with a pout. His movements are slow and deliberate as he starts to move towards Bimbus to take him out.

“A cruel and dangerous world out there filled with humans who are merciless with their killing.”

Corpse wants to scream – was Sykkuno always this dramatic?

“Fine – keep him. But if he becomes bothersome I will not hesitate to throw him out.”

The dog and the demon both perk up immediately at his words with mock happiness.

“He won’t. Right, Bimbus?”

A delighted ‘woof’ echoes through their estate as Corpse steps past the overjoyed duo to enter into the mansion. He honestly hopes that this isn’t a big mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~ 
> 
> Sorry for taking so long with updates - my ability to get sidetracked with other works is a bit problematic :) 
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan


	5. four.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angsty fluff and possibly the truth. The plot thickens... 
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of character death and blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I humbly apologise for how long it's taking me to update this fic but it's a little bit more complicated than I originally planned :) 
> 
> Enjoy~

Corpse looks up from the papers in his hands as the royal blue envelope lands on the table. Sykkuno says nothing as he turns back to the tray filled with dessert and tea. The younger male lets out a sigh as he drops the papers onto the table. His expression is bored as he watches the demon go about pouring the steaming hot water into the tea pot.

“What’s that?”

The plate of chocolate cake slides onto the table before the envelope gets pushed to place next to it.

“An invitation.”

Corpse leans to the side to rest his chin on his fist with a hum. His dark eyes glance down at the set up before him but he makes no move to open the invite.

“I have prepared a decant _Death by Chocolate_ cake today accompanied by _Pu’er_ tea imported directly from the mountains of Yunnan.”

The intense aroma of the nearly black tea washes over the room. Corpse takes the offered cup of tea with a nod at the envelope and Sykkuno dutifully opens it with one slice of the silver letter opener. 

“Lady Anys is celebrating her birthday this coming weekend and she would love for you to join her birthday celebration.”

Poki’s birthday party – when was the last time he celebrated birthdays?

“Decline it.”

The demon falls silent for a moment as he studies Corpse before a sly smile crawls its way up onto Sykkuno’s lips.

“Young master, can you dance?”

The sentence catches him off guard and he nearly breaks the tea cup as he chokes on the mouthful of tea. He turns to glare at the older male when he feels soft pats against his back to find Sykkuno with an innocent, worried look on his face. Corpse swallows a gulp of precious air when the liquid finally frees him from his near death experience.

“I can.”

Sykkuno hums softly as he picks up the invitation to put it back into its envelope.

“Social interactions are important – especially when you’re an Earl.”

No way – there is no way in hell that Sykkuno will get him to go and dance at this party.

“I’m doing fine as it is – aren’t I?”

He stabs the silver fork into the moist cake with a little more force than necessary. Sykkuno angles his head to look down at his young master with a mocking frown.

“The Hofstetter Corporation has been going through a drop in the charts lately.”

The rich chocolate of the cake tastes too bitter on his tongue and he lets out an annoyed huff of air before dropping the fork with a clank.

“What are you trying to say?”

Corpse turns to look up at the demon and a shiver runs down his spine when Sykkuno’s eyes turn red. The intense eye contact suffocates Corpse as the brunette moves one of his gloved hands up to his mouth slowly. Sykkuno’s teeth are sharper than usual when he bites down on the glove covering his middle finger. The silky white fabric slides off of his hand easily and Corpse stops breathing completely when Sykkuno’s other gloved hand hits the chair to rest above his head. The dark magic circle on the demon’s hand glows against his pale skin in the bright lights of the study.

He smells like chocolate and orange blossoms – bitter and deceiving. Sykkuno’s hand is oddly warm as it comes to rest against Corpse’s cheek. Dark orbs glance down at the hand as its thumb presses down onto his bottom lip. The touch is soft, a contradiction to the hard look in his red eyes. Sykkuno feels a wave of possessiveness wash through his body as he runs his thumb across Corpse’s red lips – _his_.

“You’re such a messy eater.”

The demon’s words come out soft – a mutter that lingers in the room. His thumb presses down harder when it reaches the edge of Corpse’s mouth to swipe at the stray speck of chocolate icing. The shudder that runs down the younger male’s spine makes Sykkuno smirk victoriously as he licks the icing off of his thumb – it’s awfully sweet with a bitter aftertaste that lingers in your mouth.

“I will inform Lady Anys about your attendance at her birthday celebration this weekend”

Sykkuno pushes off of the chair to stand up properly before sliding his glove back on. Corpse bites down on his bottom lip as his butler rounds the table with a devilish smirk.

“I trust that you’ll be able to have the honour of the first dance that night.”

_Why that little-_

Corpse closes his eyes with a frustrated sigh. Sykkuno’s really getting bolder with his teasing as each day passes.

_~~Waltzing can’t be that hard, right?~~ _

**

“One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three...”

Corpse bites back a curse as he tries his best to keep up with the steady counting. He’s the same height as Sykkuno, maybe even taller by just a little bit, and the position puts them nearly face to face as they spin in a never ending circle around the room.

“You have to lead, Young Master.”

_~~He’s trying to damnit.~~ _

“You’re not leading.”

They come to a stop as a frustrated groan echoes through the big, empty space of the ballroom.

“I’m tired.”

The demon’s face breaks out into a fond, exasperate look.

“This is your last break for the next two hours – we can’t disappoint Lady Anys.”

Corpse nods his acceptance but makes no move to release the demon from his hold. The room falls completely silent as the duo stands staring at each other in the middle of the massive cream coloured floor. Dark orbs meet brown ones as he tries to look for an answer in those soft, warm eyes – Corpse has never been able to read Sykkuno and it frustrates him to his very soul. 

Some days it feels as if Sykkuno _actually loves him_ – take the day of the kidnapping for example, Sykkuno was seldom angry but he was furious that day when he came to fetch Corpse from the bunker. Then other days it feels like Sykkuno doesn’t care at all – cold and distant as he went about his duties in the house without so much as sparing him a glance.

“Why did you want to personally teach me how to dance?”

Sykkuno’s thumb is stroking the back of his hand with slow, sure movements as he considers the question. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have the power, the fame or the money to just hire a dancing teacher with one phone call. Yet still, Sykkuno insisted that he was experienced enough for teaching him the basics of waltzing when Corpse told the demon to hire a teacher.

“I just thought that we should save money – why go through the trouble of having someone hired when you already have the resources at your disposal?”

_~~Or maybe Sykkuno just didn’t like the idea of someone else touching Corpse with such intimate gestures whilst being able to stay in his embrace for so many long hours at a time.~~ _

Corpse doesn’t believe the demon’s words at all. Sykkuno’s tone is flat and emotionless, the tone of a liar, but he has no way of proving his suspicions so he lets it go without another word. He loosens his grip on the demon’s waist but the brunette doesn’t take a step back, staying close in his embrace.

“ _You’ve grown so much since then._ ”

Sykkuno’s words are laced with affection as he scans over Corpse’s face. The gloved hand resting on his shoulder slides up to cup his cheek and the human’s eyes flutter shut as a thumb wipes over his eyelid. Corpse has beautiful eyes – innocent dark eyes that hide a horrible past with deep hatred and anger. The magic circle over his eye gives a pulsing glow when Corpse looks up with a hard expression. Sykkuno snaps out of his trance as he takes a step back with an unfeeling smile.

“We shall start again in 20 minutes.”

The door to the ballroom shuts with a soft thud as Sykkuno disappears behind it.

**

The sheets feel cold against his skin as he slides under the snow white covers. He can hear Sykkuno’s movements from the bathroom as he burrows himself further into the huge bed. It’s no secret that he struggles to sleep – insomnia clings to him like an unshakable monster and gnaws at his mind every night. The sounds fade into silence as Sykkuno finishes up with his chores around the house. Corpse shuts his eyes as he tries to steady his breathing in mock sleep when the door to his bedroom opens quietly. The edge of the bed dips where the demon sits down and Corpse waits in anticipation as the room falls still.

“Are you unable to sleep?”

He tenses up at Sykkuno’s soft voice. A surprised huff of air gets blown into the blanket when a hand lands on his blanket covered body. Corpse peeks out over the edge of the blanket and Sykkuno offers him a smile when their eyes meet.

“I’m fine. Don’t bother me with your unnecessary moves.”

Defensive – but that’s how it’s always been between them. Corpse just doesn’t want to get his expectations up. A gloved hand lands on his cheeks to caress him and he finds himself succumbing to Sykkuno’s soft touches immediately.

“ _How can I help you?_ ”

He wants to pull Sykkuno down into his embrace and to hold him close to his heart – the heart that belongs to him only. But he won’t.

“Nothing. Just leave already.”

Sykkuno hums as he considers Corpse’s words for a moment. The younger male’s tone is a lot more agitated tonight. The lack of sleep and stress is finally kicking in and that’s not good. He can’t have Corpse suffering in his hands – not today, not ever.

Corpse lets out a strangled sound when Sykkuno starts to remove his gloves and tie. Blood rushes up to his face as the demon continues to strip until he only has his white dress shirt and trousers on.

“What are you-”

He gets cut off when the covers get thrown back to let the cold air in.

“Shift over.”

Sykkuno offers him a smile before sliding into the covers. His odd warmth washes over the human like rays of sunshine and Corpse’s breath hitches when the demon’s sweet scent surrounds him like a second blanket. He turns to look away when he snaps out of his daze to find brown eyes watching him with amusement. Sykkuno opens his arms in a gesture for a hug with a sense of softness that melts Corpse’s heart.

“Come here.”

His body moves on its own and before he can register his own actions he finds Sykkuno’s arms snaking around him in a bear hug. Corpse feels his mind start to drift towards sleep for the first time in a long while as he presses his ear against Sykunno’s chest. The steady thumping of the demon’s heart hypnotises him easily.

“Goodnight, Corpse. Sweet dreams.”

A pair of soft lips presses against his forehead before his body relaxes in the grasp of slumber.

**

Toast chugs the last of the alcohol in one go and the bitter liquid slides down his throat like lava. Sykkuno’s eyes are trained on the moon again – lost in thought as he often is most days now.

Love is life’s biggest obstacle – it always has been and it always will be.

“Does he know that you’re purposefully leaving Rachel’s case unsolved?”

Sykkuno’s red eyes shift slowly to focus on Toast.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The reaper scoffs. Sykkuno is the most diligent individual that Toast knows of – he was outstandingly smart and very observant. There is no way that he can be stuck on a case for so long if he truly wanted to solve it.

“Just admit it already.”

A tense silence washes over the roof. He shifts his gaze away and back to the moon after another beat of stiff eye contact. Toast needs to find more alcohol – this is getting ridiculous now.

“Can you do it?”

Toast stands up with a yawn – maybe Ludwig will have something strong enough to knock him out tonight.

“Don’t lie to yourself Sykkuno. Can you kill Corpse?”

The reaper shoves his hands into his pockets as he studies the demon. He can clearly see the brokenness in the other man.

“ _You can’t because you love him._ ”

He steps off of the high roof without another word, leaving Sykkuno alone once again.

**

“One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three...”

The duo swirl around the room with practiced ease as Sykkuno’s soft voice echoes across the ballroom. Corpse looks up with a questioning raise of his eyebrow when they come to a sudden stop.

“Let’s add some music – shall we?”

The demon carries an aura of sadness around him, an aura that has been there ever since that night. Seeing Sykkuno sad makes Corpse bitter – it’s an ugly feeling that eats his heart out from the inside and leaves him agitated every time he sees the older male. The soft melody of the piano filters through the dimly lit ballroom and echoes eerily through the sad air.

“Shall we?”

Corpse retakes Sykkuno’s hand in his before sliding his other hand to hold the demon’s thin waist. They sway slowly to the music for a minute before Corpse swings him to the side and that’s all that takes for them to start swirling around the room again. Sykkuno closes his eyes as he lets himself be guided across the cream coloured floor. Corpse allows himself to really study the brunette as they continue to glide smoothly from one side of the room to the other.

Silky soft brown hair, a sharp jaw, a prominent nose and shiny red lips – the image of elegance and deception, innocence and evil in one.

Corpse stops breathing when Sykkuno’s eyes flutter open. A heavy layer of danger glimmers to life in those blood red eyes. They come to a halt in the middle of the dance floor. The music begins to sound distorted and broken as Sykkuno continues to stare at him – Corpse feels like he’s about to get eaten alive under the demon’s unblinking gaze.

“Sykk-”

His sentence gets cut off when a pair of warm lips lands on his. The brunette catches him easily as he slumps forward with weak knees. It was only a simple press of lips, nothing too fancy, but it left him melting in the older male’s arms nonetheless.

“Stick out your tongue.”

Sykkuno’s usual smooth voice is husky around the edges and it sends a shiver down Corpse’s spine. His pink tongue just makes it out of his mouth before it gets captured between the demon’s teeth. Something warm glides over his tongue and a moan echoes across the ballroom as their tongues tangle together in a waltz of their own.

Corpse’s breath comes out in heavy pants as they pull back with a small pop. Sykkuno’s eyes turn back to a murky brown after a few beats of silence. A surprised noise filters through the place when Corpse gets pushes back to an arm’s length. A frantic look takes over those beautiful brown orbs and the demon’s hands immediately let go of his shoulders to fall to his side limply.

“We're... uh... done for today.”

A curse pierces through the air of the dark ballroom as the door shuts with a lonely thud.

**

Lively chatter and loud music filters through the place as Corpse navigates his way past the sea of people.

“Corpse!”

Poki’s happy voice reaches his ears a second before her body comes colliding with his. He lets out a hiss of pain as he tries to stabilise them.

“Poki.”

She pulls back to beam at him and Corpse bites back a sigh as he takes a step back.

“Happy birthday.”

Her smile becomes impossibly wider at his birthday wish and he lets out a grunt when she pulls him back in for one more bone crushing hug.

“Thank you!”

They chat for a little while longer before moving across the crowd. A small frown makes its way onto his lips when he spots Dream and Felix waiting at the corner where Poki is leading them to.

“Aw, don’t look so _happy_ to see us again.”

Dream’s voice is cheerful and light. Corpse let’s out a shudder at how fake it sounds to his ears.

“I need to go greet some other people really quickly. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please enjoy the party!”

Poki eyes the three of them with a smile before saying a quick farewell and disappearing off into the crowd.

“Is your butler not here?”

Corpse narrows his eyes at the younger male’s statement – why would he want to know where Sykkuno is?

“He’s just busy with some errands at the moment.”

The envelope with the baby pink stamp on his desk this afternoon provided Sykkuno with the best possible ticket out from their awkward tension.

“How unfortunate.”

Corpse grits his teeth angrily before turning away without another word. The duo doesn’t stop him as he storms off to find some air.

**

The moon’s soft glow shines down like silver onto the balcony. Corpse lets out an insufferable sigh. His hot breath turns into a cold puff of mist before fading away.

“May I join you?”

Felix’s voice pierces through the muffled sounds of the party behind the balcony doors. Corpse turns around with a surprised jolt when the older male pushes himself off of the wall with a smile.

“Why are you here? Where’s Dream?”

Felix nods his head towards the inside with a bored expression.

“He’s flirting with some girls inside.”

His musky, woody scent oozes into the night air and clogs Corpse’s sense as he corners the younger male against the balcony.

“Besides, you looked lonely.”

A curse gets muttered into the air when Corpse finds himself trapped like a butterfly in a spider’s web.

“What do you want from me?”

Felix’s hands hit the balcony on either side of him with a dull thud. A dangerous smile etches itself onto his face as his now red eyes glance down at Corpse.

“ _Don’t you want to know the truth about your sister?_ ”

Rachel – he remembers her scared eyes and her broken scream like a vivid dream every night.

“What do you know?”

His voice comes out barely above a whisper. Corpse sounds breathless, as if he had been running for hours – chasing after the truth behind this freak accident. Felix leans forward with a devilish grin as he whispers something into Corpse’s ear. The world begins to spin as nausea takes over his body. The smell of blood fills the air to intertwine with Felix’s musky scent when Corpse’s hand cuts itself open on a jagged piece of the balcony.

_Such a sweet smell – the fragrance of a pure soul._

Corpse stares blankly at the demon as he lifts the bleeding hand to his lips. Felix’s tongue darts out to swipe at a droplet of blood and he lets out an amazed gasp at how divine the red liquid tastes. The sound of glass breaking shatters the still night before a sharp piece of glass gets pressed against Felix’s throat.

“ _I will cut you into pieces the next time I find you near him._ ”

Sykkuno’s one hand is fisted in Felix’s hair as he presses the sharp edge of the glass into Felix’s skin to draw a thin red line. The taller demon hits the floor with a thump but the smile on his face remains even as he wipes his thumb across the shallow cut on his throat. 

“It’s too late already Sykkuno. You’ve lost.”

He dusts himself off as he gets up from the cold, hard floor with a happy hum. Sykkuno’s glare follows Felix out of the balcony area before turning back to look at Corpse with an expressionless face.

“We need to disinfect and clean the wound immediately.”

Corpse’s gaze snaps up from his wound to Sykkuno’s face.

“Go excuse us from the party. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

He pushes past the brunette with a harsh bump of shoulders without waiting for an answer. Sykkuno lets out a frustrated sigh as he runs his hand through his hair. There’s no way of delaying this showdown any further now.

Back at the car Corpse drags his finger through his blood before smearing the thick liquid across his hand in a messy manner. His body feels numb with pain and shock as he replays Felix’s words over and over again in his mind. Confliction bubbles like a dangerous fire in his body as it begins to eat him alive from the inside out. How could this have happened? He wants to scream his frustrations away. His blood tastes bitter and disgusting as he drags his tongue over his bleeding palm. 

_Sykkuno contracted with Rachel the night of the fire to avenge her parents. He ate her soul and now he wants yours as well._

**

Her sweet voice hums through the air as she sways the pink and white flower in her hands from side to side. The full moon is bright and shining brilliantly over the campus as the wind tugs gently at her short, dark hair.

“He’s on the move.”

The brunette pushes his glasses up slowly as he waits for her to respond. She turns around with a smile as the melody finishes. The pink and white flower hits his shoulder with a bounce before she lets it fall to the ground.

“Let the games begin then.”

His face remains blank when she leans in to drop a chaste kiss onto his cheek.

“Don’t forget your promise to me.”

The scent of something metallic fuses with the spicy sweet scent of the flower. The winds pick up as another storm of baby pink flowers washes over the campus.

xXx

Another breakdown:

[Throughout history and across cultures, **orange blossom** flowers have symbolized purity, innocence, chastity and fertility. In ancient China, India and Persia, **orange blossom** flowers were equated with purity, innocence and chastity, and were consequently associated with brides.](https://www.ehow.com/about_6734213_meaning-orange-blossom-flower.html) \- A little insight as to why I said Sykkuno was deceiving. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~ 
> 
> Dropping hints because I- :) 
> 
> I hope you had fun reading this! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! 
> 
> Xx  
> -Jesan


	6. five.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack the Ripper. 
> 
> Warnings: descriptions about dead bodies and open wounds. Blood and goriness. Murder.
> 
> Additional tags: Dream/George pairing involved here, although I have been hinting lol^ :)
> 
> Edit: I forgot the angst tag but heavy angst upcoming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Xx

The bell above the old wooden door chimes dully as Corpse pushes it open. The shop is dark, like always, and it smells of rotting wood and dust. His eyes scan around the room scattered with coffins to try and find its owner.

“Corpse! Sykkuno!”

The cheerful voice filters through the shop a second before a head pops up from one of the semi-open coffins. The demon offers the shop keeper a smile as he scrambles out of the coffin with a happy smile of his own.

“What a pleasant surprise!”

Corpse grunts his response before plopping down onto one of the closest black boxes.

“I need your help Jack.”

A flash of amusement flickers across his blue eyes, which are turning oddly green, as he senses the tension between the duo. This could be rather interesting.

“How can I help you, Corpsey?”

The dark haired male lets out an irritated sound at the cute nickname but continues nonetheless.

“Do you have the dead bodies from the recent cases?”

A thoughtful hum echoes through the shop as he adjusts the black top hat sliding off of his mass of unruly hair.

“What are you planning on paying me in exchange for the bodies?”

He lets out a ‘tch’ as he crosses his legs with a glare. Jack lets out a dramatic sigh before sliding onto the coffin space next to the younger male. Corpse turns to look at him with a bored expression as the undertaker snakes his hands around his arm.

“What do you want?”

A wicked smile crawls its way onto the older male’s lips.

“ _What else...?_ ”

The place falls silent with anticipation.

“A good laugh of course!”

Jack’s giggle takes over the shop as he throws himself backwards and nearly off of the coffin entirely. It’s the same every time they visit – Jack always requests for a good laugh but Corpse has never been one for comedy and he doesn’t plan on becoming one for comedy anytime soon either. His eyes meet with Sykkuno’s for a brief moment before the demon turns to look at Jack with a smile.

“Please stay outside until I tell you to come back in and whatever you do – _don’t open the door_.”

The bell swings dangerously through the air when the door clicks shut on Corpse as he all but gets thrown out of the shop. Jack and Sykkuno have been friends for a really long time apparently. Corpse found out by accident during one of their cases a few months back when Jack was busy sprouting nonsense as he rifled through dead bodies for evidence. Silence takes over the empty streets in front of the shop for a beat before Jack’s screeching laughter pierces through the whole area. A hiccup ends off the crazed hysterical laughter and the door swings open to reveal Sykkuno with a very professional smile.

“Please come back in.”

Jack lets out a contented sigh before draping himself over Sykkuno with a satisfied smile. The undertaker rubs his nose against the demon’s cheek affectionately and, despite all the darkness that has now clung itself around the duo ever since Poki’s birthday, it makes Corpse’s heart churn with anger.

“We should do these more often Sykkunie – you hardly visit me anymore.”

Corpse’s eye gives an angry twitch as Jack drops a kiss onto the tip of Sykkuno’s ear.

“As promised – your bodies.”

His blue eyes have since turned into a beautiful light green and they sparkle like emeralds in the dim light.

“They’re a little bloody though – I’m not sure if you’ll be able to stomach them. Here’s the newest one.”

A coffin hits the floor with a heavy thud and Corpse coughs a little as a big puffy cloud of dust rises off of the floor.

“All of these bodies have a missing part.”

A missing part?

“ _All of them have no eyes._ ”

A heavy scent of rotting flesh floods Corpse’s senses when the coffin's lid slides open to reveal a neatly dressed man with a white bandage over his eyes. Two blotches of red stain the silk fabric and Corpse turns to look away as nausea takes over him. Sykkuno’s sweet scent washes over the disgusting smell to surround him like a safe haven when the older male’s black blazer gets draped over his shoulders.

“Please go wait outside.”

He opens his mouth to argue but no words come out when his eyes land on the contents of the coffin again. Sykkuno starts to remove his gloves slowly when the door closes after Corpse.

“Did you two have a fight?”

Jack leans against the upright coffin door in his hands as he watches the brunette go about his investigation. The white silk cloth slides off easily when he tugs on one end. The places where the man’s eyes are supposed to be are replaced by two shallow sockets. The skin there has dried blood stains and it’s turning brownish in colour as opposed to the usual pink.

“We had a few mishaps.”

Sykkuno’s barely audible whisper echoes through the dark shop as he moves to take a closer look at the victim’s face. It looks like they were gorged out by a knife. The person who did it is clearly inexperienced because there are lots of scars created by the sharp tip of the weapon which are currently infected and perishing. Jack lets out a thoughtful hum as Sykkuno’s eyes land on the thin line of dead skin circling around the deceased man’s neck neatly.

“What’s the cause of death?”

Jack studies Sykkuno for a beat before pulling out a neatly folded piece of thin white string. There’s dried maroon blood sticking to some parts of it.

“String? Any signs of the killer?”

The undertaker lets the stained weapon glide between his fingers with a small shake of his head.

“No fingerprints, nothing at all, just the blood of this poor man and nothing else.”

Sykkuno’s eyes linger on the white thread whilst he tries to process everything.

_White string – like spider webs._

“Show me the other bodies.”

It takes nearly ten minutes before the door to the shop opens again. Corpse is curled up on the floor by the entrance with Sykkuno’s blazer shielding him from the cold breeze like a protective bubble around him.

“Sorry for the long wait.”

Corpse takes the demon’s offered hand before the image of Felix’s evil grin flashes before his eyes. The brunette says nothing at all as Corpse quickly retracts his hand back from his hold.

“What did you find?”

Jack resurfaces from the back of his shop with a tray of measuring glasses filled with dark brown milk tea. Corpse takes the offered measuring glass of tea with a small nod and the welcomed warmth washes over his cold hands as he waits for Sykkuno to answer.

“There are a total of three bodies so far. All three of these victims have no eyes and a neat scar around their throats from where they were strangled to death by a piece of inelastic string.”

Very specific moves from the killer’s side – this is definitely not some mad-man-on-the-loose scenario that the media is trying so desperately to paint. But why would they go out of their way to leave such specific hints? These movements all seem very deliberate, as if they want to be discovered.

“Draw up a list of suspects before the day ends.”

Sykkuno exchanges one last nod with Jack before bowing to Corpse. The shop falls silent once again as the demon steps out to get the list up and going.

“You seem very stressed lately, young Earl. Did something happen?”

Jack swirls the bone shaped biscuit in his own cup of measuring glass tea as he watches the younger male with a Cheshire Cat grin. The image of their _over intimate_ hug from earlier flashes through his mind’s eye and the glass in his hands lets out a dangerous sound as its rim starts to form a rough crack. Have they really been just friends during all these years? The semi-broken measuring cup hits the top of the coffin with an angry clap. Corpse ignores Jack’s widening grin as he stands up quickly – suddenly in a hurry to leave this wretched place filled with nothing but death.

“Nothing happened. Don’t stick your nose into other people’s business all the time.”

Jack lets out a hearty laugh as he walks Corpse to the door – the half eaten bone biscuit hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

“ _Be careful of whom you trust Corpsey, not everyone has a soul as pure as yours._ ”

Jack’s now fully green eyes flicker like a dangerous flame above his evil smile before the door to the shop falls shut in Corpse’s face.

**

The door to the mansion opens up just as Corpse gets out of the car. Sykkuno welcomes him back with a soft greeting which goes completely ignored by the younger male. They spend the next few minutes in an awkward, tense silence as Sykkuno prepares and serves the daily afternoon cake and tea.

“I drew up a list of suspects by using all the information that I could gather on the victims. I have also interrogated each suspect on the list and crossed out people who have alibis or have been proven innocent for certain.”

Corpse takes the pile of documents from Sykkuno as he sips on his tea without a word. Detailed reports of each suspect, with a scary amount of information on every one of them, are all typed out neatly and sorted into an ordered pile. He feels his frustration start to rise as he skims through the first twenty reports of crossed out names. Every suspect either has an impossible schedule or a solid alibi that clears them completely. The rest of the reports in that pile of papers are no better with only a few names left untouched, those name are all leaning more towards innocent than guilty though. The last page gets flipped to the top and Corpse’s eyes narrow down onto the single name on the otherwise blank page.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Sykkuno’s lips are pressed into a thin line as Corpse looks up angrily. The papers go flying through the air before hitting the demon’s chest and falling to the ground in a mess.

“Why is Dream’s name on the list?”

The brunette remains silent as he bends down to pick up the crinkled pieces of paper. Corpse nearly hurls his cup of tea through the air as well when Sykkuno decides to take his sweet time before answering.

“All three of the victims were doctors. All three doctors had one thing in common.”

Sykkuno presses the newly reordered stack of papers close to his chest as he finally straightens up to look at Corpse with gleaming crimson eyes.

“They had all once treated a patient with the name of George Henry Davidson.”

Corpse’s face remains blank – not able to connect the dots just yet.

“Mr. Davidson passed away in the same year as Rachel. The cause of death is unknown. He was colour-blind and the doctors were all unable to help treat him.”

That would explain the gorging of the victim’s eyes – possibly revenge for George but why?

“What does any of this have to do with Dream?”

Sykkuno begins to clear out the plate of untouched cake and the half empty cup of tea. Corpse watches with irritation as his butler once again takes his sweet time before answering.

“ _Dream and George were lovers._ ”

The room falls silent. The storyline makes sense but there are so many missing pieces as well. What’s the intention behind Dream killing all these people with such deliberate hints? Why are Dream and Felix so obsessed with Sykkuno?

“There’s one more person alive who had previously tried to treat Mr. Davidson.”

Sykkuno makes his way to the door before coming to a stop to wait for Corpse’s next command.

“According to these dates they should be on the move again tonight.”

A single nod of confirmation – it’s been exactly a week since their last victim died. 

“Go get everything prepared.”

Sykkuno’s voice is emotionless and cold as his response echoes through the room solemnly. 

“ _As you wish, young master._ ”

**

The alleyway before the rundown apartment building reeks of rotting garbage and dead vermin. All of these victims may be doctors but they were probably the lowest ranking doctors to have ever existed – doctors that worked for the government to care for the poor who have no other means of medical care. George Davidson lived in a foster home all the way until his death. The town where his foster home was located at is one of the poorest towns in their country – these doctors probably all moved out to the bigger city to pursue better pay.

Doctor Aleister Kelly is a bony man in his early fifties. He went about his days mindlessly helping patient after patient from 8 in the morning until 6 in the evening with a permanent lifeless expression. The dark alley had fallen silent after Dr. Kelly's arrival home about half an hour ago and has been peaceful since then.

Corpse glances down at his wristwatch with an exhausted sigh. Dream was not at school yesterday and nobody has seen the duo since Poki’s birthday party. He had been 100% sure that they would move tonight but now he’s starting to doubt his deductions as they stand in the cold night air waiting for Jack the Ripper, the name the people at the media have decided to give him, to finally show up.

A low rumble of thunder growls through the grey clouds a few seconds before the agonised scream of the man pierces through the night. The door of his tiny residence, the furthest door to the left of the ground floor, gets thrown open just as a clap of thunder rumbles across the angry, stormy sky. Thick trickles of blood are dripping down from his hollowed eye sockets onto the floor as he tries to crawl his way out with broken cries of help.

Dream lets out an angry ‘tch’ as he steps out from inside. There’s a knife in his one hand covered in blood with droplets of the crimson liquid dripping off from its sharp tip onto the dirty floor. Felix is following close behind his young master with a snow white piece of thin rope in his hands.

“This would have been much quicker if you would just stop struggling.”

The blind doctor lets out a broken cry of pain when Dream steps down on his back with a frown.

“Kill him already – he’s so annoying.”

Corpse’s eyes widen in horror when Felix throws the rope around Aleister’s neck. The white line tightens until blood starts to drip down his wrinkled white button up shirt. He makes a strangled sound from the back of his throat before dropping lifelessly onto the floor.

The dark skies above let out a mourning clap of thunder before a heavy sheet of rain starts to paint the dirty floor wet with its tears. The red liquid flowing out of the dead doctor dilutes into a light pink before disappearing down the drain.

“Why?”

Corpse’s voice sounds broken – his eyes are still trained on the dead man with fresh horror. A bitter taste is fighting its way up from the back of his throat as nausea fills his stomach.

“Why are you doing this?”

Dark eyes look up slowly to find Dream staring back at him with a cold, unfeeling expression filled with no sympathy, no remorse and no humanity.

“Do you know what love feels like, Corpse?”

Dream closes his eyes slowly before turning to look up at the crying skies. The cold rain beats down onto his face to mingle with his tears as he recalls the image of George’s smile.

_His beautiful George – the love of his life and an angel sent down from the heavens to bless his wretched life._

“They bullied him for being born with abnormal sight. They called him a freak because he saw the world differently. Every single day he would come to me bruised and bleeding. But still, despite the torment, my beloved George was always so happy. He always had a smile on his face despite all his pain and suffering.”

And then one day Dream said that he would burn that little town to the ground so that nobody would ever be able to hurt his precious George ever again. He opens his eyes with a crazed smile and Corpse lets out a shudder when those savage orbs land on him. 

“I woke up one day to find the town’s folk screaming. The miserable place was finally burning to the ground but despite the chaos George was happy. He looked at me with such a merry expression as he pointed at the combusting bullies with glee. He promised to stay by my side and to love me until the end of time. _He promised me._ ”

Dream lets out a pained scream as he buries his face between his hands. The image of George’s lifeless body still haunts every second of his every day even after so many years.

“I turned around for a few minutes to admire the view of the beautiful, orange town only to turn back to find George’s body on the ground. His eyes were blank, unseeing of anything before him, but the rest of him was perfectly fine. Do you know what happened?”

Dream’s eyes shift from Corpse to look at Sykkuno. A bitter smile filled to the brim with hatred.

“ _His soul was taken by a demon._ ”

His soft whisper triggers something buried deep within Corpse – a feeling of complete hopelessness and desperation. Feelings which Corpse has been trying so hard to weed out since the day of his kidnapping.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news for you but I’m not the demon that took George’s soul. Felix is lying to you – he has always been.”

Anger drowns out his sad hatred as the knife in his hand goes flying through the air. Sykkuno dodges it easily and it chips a piece off of the alleyway’s far wall before landing on the ground noisily.

“Don’t lie to me!”

Felix grabs a hold of Dream as he tries to charge at the brunette.

“Give me back my George!”

Sykkuno’s pained expression filled with sympathy and pity makes Corpse feel disgusted as he straightens himself up.

“I’m really sorry for your loss Dream, but your crimes cannot be forgiven for such tragic reasons. Four consecutive murder cases are sins far from forgivable.”

Dream lets out an angry hiss as he struggles against Felix’s hold.

“Kill him! Kill Corpse!”

Felix’s red eyes land on Corpse with an unreadable expression as he continues to hold his young master back from charging at Sykkuno. The brunette lets out a low warning growl when a sly smile slides onto the other demon’s lips. Dream lets out an angry scream when he gets lifted off of the ground.

“Felix you bastard! Let go of me!”

He offers the stunned duo a polite bow before throwing his now flailing young master over his shoulder. A curse rings out through the night as Felix disappears off of the floor to land on the roof. Corpse’s hand shoots out to stop Sykkuno when he prepares to go chase after them.

“I’m tired. Let’s go home.”

The steam inside the bathroom crowds around him as he strips himself bare to step into the bath. The water burns his skin like a branding iron. It sloshes around him stupidly as he gets himself comfortable. Sykkuno hasn’t said a word since then. The demon’s clothes are still wet, not dripping with water anymore but still very wet, as he picks up the lump of sopping wet garments off of the floor.

“Sykkuno.”

The older male looks up after a beat.

“Can I trust you?”

He remains silent as he stands back upright with the wet mess in his hands. Corpse reaches for the sponge besides the tub with an angry grit of his teeth as he repeats his question again.

“ _Can I trust you, Sykkuno?_ ”

The sponge hits him in the face before falling to the floor. Sykkuno still remains stubbornly silent.

“Get out of my sight. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

Corpse finds himself truly alone for the first time in his life when Sykkuno leaves without so much as a goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello~ 
> 
> I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated and they keep me motivated as well! Xx 
> 
> Xx  
> \- Jesan


End file.
